Signal for railroad cars



March 25 1924. 1,487,818

G. c. SPELLINGS SIGNAL FOR RAILROAD CARS' Filed Oct. 26. 1925 Z Sheets-Sheet 1 March 25 1924. 1,487,818

. G. c. SPELLIN'GS SIGNAL FOR RAILROAD CARS Filed Oct. 26. 1923 2 SheetsSheet 2 A I I '40 7 54- I326 I I l m o fl /9 6,

Z M f ,4 M 5 A Z5 /J Z4/ 0' Fatented Friar. 25, 192 5:.

srnnon c. SBELLINGS, or Hmvrnvenon, TENNESSEE.

SIGNAL FOR RAILROAD CARS.

Application filed October 26, 1923. Serial No. 671,020.

To all whom it may concern. 7

Be it known that I, GIDnoN C. SPELIJINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntingdon, i the county of Carroll and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Signal for Railroad Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This inventio relatesto a signaling device especially designed for use on railway trains or the like, the primary obj ect of the invention being to provide means controlled by the coupling of the car to which the device is attached for actuating abell or similar audible signal.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a device of this character which will give a signal when cars are uncoupled, warning persons of the approach of a car when the same has been uncoupled, and released from a train of cars.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the 001m bination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be madewithin the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. 1

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view disclosing a signaling device constructed in accordance with the present invention as applied to railway cars;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the signal actuating means and housing supporting the same.

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an elevational View disclosing one end of the operating shaft.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference character 5 designates the usual railwaycar, construction, to which the sig naling device forming the subject matter of the presentinvention is supplied.

'The device includes a housing indicated generally by the reference character 6 which housing is formed with an opening 7 in the rear wall thereof and an opening 8 in the forward wall thereof, the opening 7 accommodating an operating shaft 9 that is arranged to operate at one side of one of the wheels of the car, as clearly shown by Figure 1 of the drawings.

.This sha'ft9 is supported in the movable bearings 10 that are formed with elongated openings to accommodate the bolts 11 secured to the lower end of the bracket 12 that depends from the upper wall of the housing. Thus it will be seen that due to this construction, the shaft 9 may be moved laterally to bring the same into and out of contact with the wheel of the car, associated therewith to operate the signaling device.

Connecting the bearings 10 is a bar 12 which is provided with an outstanding car 13 to which the arm 14: is pivotally connected, the arm 14 being also connected with the head 15 of the operating rod 16. A connecting link 1'7 also has connection with the head 16 and has its opposite end an- -Figure 3 of the drawing, which in turn moves the shaft 9 laterally and out of contactwith the wheel associated therewith.

A coiled spring 20 is mounted on the rod 16 and has one end thereof abutting one of the bearing members 18, the opposite end engaging the pin 21 carried by the rod 16,

to normally urge the rod to the limit of its outward movement which moves the shaft 9 to its active position.

In order that movement of the rod 16 will be restricted, a spring finger 22 is provided, which bears against the rod 16 to prevent rattling thereof. Formed on the inner end of the shaft 9 is a pin 23 which iseccentricall v located with respect to the end of the shaft 9, to engage the arm 21 of the tapper mechanism which includes a pivoted arm formed with a tapper 26 at its upper end, which topper moves within the hell 2'? to make an audible signal. The arm 24 ex tends into an opening in the shaft 9, whereby movement of the shaft results in a relative movement of the arm 24: to sound the alarm.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that when cars are coupled, the shaft 9 will be thrown out of operation, but when the cars are uncoupled, the spring 20 will act to move the rod 16' in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow as shown by Figure 3 of the drawings, whereupon the shaft 9 will be moved laterally into engagement with the wheel of the car which will cause the shaft 9 to rotate. As the shaft 9 rotates, movement is imparted to the arm an as described. 7

It is believed that in view of the foregoing detail description, a further detail description as to the operation of the device is unnecessary. 7

I claim:

1. In combination with the coupler heads and supporting wheels of railway rolling stock, a housing supported adjacent to the coupler heads, a signaling device within the housing, ashaft extending into the housing and adapted to be moved into engagement with one of the supporting wheels to operate the signaling device, and means in the path of travel of the coupling heads and adapted to be moved by its engagement with the coupling heads for moving the shaft into and out of engagement with the wheel for controlling the sounding of the alarm. "2. In combination with the coupler heads and supporting wheels of railway rolling stock, a housing supported adjacent to the coupler heads, a signaling device in the housing, and including a pivoted arm, movable bearings within the housing, a rotatable shaft supported in the bearings, said shaft adapted to be moved to frictionally engage the supporting wheel associated therewith, a slidable rod adapted to move in the housing, and means for connecting the rod with V the bearings to cause the shaft to, move laterally in the housing and into engagement with the wheel for controlling the sounding of the alarm.

3. In combination with the coupler heads and supporting wheels of railway rolling stock, a signaling device including a housing, supported adjacent to the coupler heads, movable bearings within the housing, a rotatable shaft supported in the bearings and adapted to move to frictionally engage the supporting wheel associated therewith, a signaling member within the housing and adapted to be operated by the rotation of the shaft, and means in the housing and adapted to contact with a coupler head for moving the shaft into and out of engagement with the wheel for controlling the sounding of the alarm.

t. In combination with. the coupler heads and supporting wheels of railway rolling stock, a signaling device including a housing, a laterally movable shaft within the housing and adapted to move into frictional engagement with one of the supportmovable shaft extending into the housing and adapted to-be rotated by frictional engagement with one of the wheels, means for transmitting movementof the shaft .to the signaling member, and means for moving the shaft into and out of contact with the wheel associated therewith for controlling the sounding of the signaling member. 7 r

6. .In combination with the coupler heads and supporting wheels of railway rolling stock, a signaling device including a housadapted to move laterally therein, said shaft adapted to frictionally engage one'of the supporting wheels to receive motion there-' from, a signaling member within the housing, and operated by the rotary movement of the shaft, and an operating rodadapted ing,'a shaft extending into the housing and to move the shaft into and out of contact 7 with the supporting wheel associatedtherewith for controlling the sounding of the alarm. r

7. In combination with the coupler heads and supporting wheels of railway rolling stock, a signaling device including a 'hous-- ing, supported adjacent to the coupler heads, a signaling member within-the housing, a rotatable'shaft extending into'the housing and adapted to be rotated by frictional engagement with one ofthe support? ing wheels, an operating rod adapted to slide into the housing, said operating rod adapted to engage the coupler head to move the rod in one direction, means for connecting the rod to the shaft to cause theshaft to move laterally into engagement with the supporting wheel to cause the sounding oft-he signaling device and means for returning the rod to its normal position. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myown, I have hereto 'afiixed my signaturein the presence of twowitnesses.

cannon o. SPELLINGS. 

